The interchangeable multi-purpose cooking apparatus may be used as a normal stove, a grill, a frying pan, a barbecue, a baker, a steamer, a poacher, a chip fryer, a fondue or a Chinese wok. With some small modifications it can be used as a pressure cooker or even as a lighting device or a heater. This portable apparatus consists of a heating pan (1) and a cooking pan (2) which fits into the heating pan and accessories which allows it to carry out the various cooking operations. The heating unit is a heating pan comprising a heating mechanism and insulation for protection. The heating mechanisms are mutually interchangeable. The heating pan, when upside down fits upon the cooking pan, so that they are also in interchangeable positions.